Literature Circles

If your child is in a literature circle you can expect that to be finished by Friday. We will have our last meetings on Friday, so be sure all assignments are finished in their literature circle notebooks.

Math Test

This Friday will be our math test over unit 5. We will do some review on Thursday and Friday. Don't forget the practice test that is on the right side of this page. Try it out.

Holiday Party

Our class will have a holiday party to celebrate the festive season. The students should bring in some type of snack to share with their classmates. Don't forget we need drinks as well as plates (we have enough cups). This will all happen on Friday afternoon. The students will be given tickets for the week. As long as the students have one ticket left by Friday they are able to attend the party. They will lose tickets by not turning in homework or not being attentive in class. I hope everyone will attend the party!

Sparkle Shop Day (Thursday)

Our class is scheduled to shop at the Sparkle Shop on Thursday. The students will be given about 15-20 minutes to shop for family and friends in the afternoon on Thursday. It has been a couple of years since our school has done the Sparkle Shop. Just to remind parents that the Sparkle Shop is your one stop shop for Christmas gifts for the special people in the kids' lives. Feel free to send in money with your child and they can give it to me until it is time to shop.

Celebrate Success

I recognized these three students:

Jordan - For his willingness to learn and good attitude towards learning.

Sam - For his excellent participation with students in groups and literature circle.

Anna Mc. - For her great job in Math class. Excellent job with showing her work and note taking.

Congratulation to those three students and the others who I didn't recognize, but have done outstanding things in the past three weeks.

Reflections 2010

Here are some of this year's Reflections projects. The theme this year was "Together We Can...".

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A+ Spellers

Shuntaya
Sam
Christian M.
Elisabeth
Zoe
Alex
Tayten
Anna Mo.
Amaya

Great job A+ spellers of the week. Try to make the list again next week and we will see if any of your classmates can join you.

FWCS

Some light reading about our district:

Enrollment
Total students: 31,569
Elementary (PreK-5): 15,499
Middle (6-8): 6,699
High (9-12): 9,371
Performance
Attendance rate (08-09): 95.5%
Graduation rate (08-09): 83.2%
College Attendance Rate (08-09): 79.6%
Composit SAT Scores (08-09): 965

Demographics
African American: 26%
American Indian: 1%
Asian American: 3%
Hispanic: 12%
White: 53%
Multi-racial: 5%
Eligible for free/reduced priced meals: 68%
Languages spoken: 85

Skating Party

There is a skating party on Monday, December 6th. There was a reminder sent home on Friday.

Chapter 5 Math Practice Test

I have updated the chapter practice test link on the right side of the website. Take a look at what the students will be working on for the next couple weeks. Try the test for yourself.

Charity Drive (December 6-10)

This is the overview of each day's charity items. Send in items all week to support the giving season!

Charity drive

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More JA

Here is a problem the students worked on and some group activity.

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Junior Achievement Joined our Classroom Today

The kids were working together to answer questions.

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Math Chapter 4 Test Tuesday

We have finished another unit in math, so it is that time. Have your child take the chapter 4 practice test (Right side of the website) to see what he/she still needs help on. We will have a full review day on Monday.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone enjoys their day and eats too much.

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Some Fun Today

We played a little game during math time today.

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Homework over the Break

The students are required to read 20 minutes at least three nights over the holiday break. They must have a parent signature stating they read during the break.

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Turkey Gobble-Off 2010

This was our 25th annual Turkey Gobble-Off at Harrison Hill. This is the first round of gobblers.

No Spelling Words This Week

With the week consisting of only three days, we will not have a test or spelling words for this week. If you child tells you they don't have words this week they are telling you the truth.:)

A+ Spellers

Sam
Zach
Zoe
Maytal
Elisabeth
Carter
Amaya
Connor
Cameron
Tayten
Anna Mo

Congratulations to the eleven perfect spellers!

Celebrate Success

I will be recognizing the following students during our Celebrate Success assembly today:

Tayten – Just received his first E/E on his parent report
Elisabeth – Great creativity in the classroom
Jordan – Improving on his participation in class


I am very excited to recognize these three for a job well done!

12's in Multiplication

We have been working on multiplication, so here is another little video to watch.

Today

We completed our math mid-chapter check today. From what I have seen so far the scores will be pretty good.

The class was given a school survey to fill out about their thoughts on school. It is interesting to see their thoughts on class and the environment around them.

Also, today we read two chapters in "Holes", our read aloud book. The students had some great insight. The strategy was to "wonder" about things that are happening or will happen in the story. Stanley and Zero have come alive in our classroom.

The students had a hearing screening today. I found out that most of the students can't hear well because of all the ear wax the audiologist collected. That might answer a lot of your questions about your child's listening skills. Just kidding of course. You will receive a notice from the school if they have a concern regarding your student's hearing.

A+ Spellers

Amaya
James
Elisabeth
Mykemma
Zach
Connor
Tayten

Well done! Way to go A+ spellers of the week.

MATH: Tuesday, November 16

We will take our Mid-Chapter check to assess how we are doing with the multiplication properties and facts to date. It will also involve some simple division and how it relates to multiplication. We will review before we take it, so I hope to see a lot of great scores.

Math Problem

Problem of the Day:

Dave and Charlie shared half a box of crackers. They each had 20 crackers. How many crackers did the box have when it was full?

______________________________________

3 is a Magic Number

We have been working on skip counting in class. Here is a video to work on your 3s.

Veterans' Day

Don't forget to hug a veteran. All students have the day off tomorrow to honor our heroes.







Mr. Burgette
United States Navy
1996-2000
USS George Washington CVN-73

Math Problem from Yesterday

Estella and Sherman are skip counting by 3s. If Estella starts with 3, Sherman says 6, Estella says 9, etc. What is the 7th number each kid will say?

A+ Spellers

Connor
Carter
Elisabeth
Tayten
Cameron
Zach
Sam
Shuntaya

Great job spellers!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Thank you to the parents I have already seen and I look forward to seeing the parents that are to come. It is always nice to speak with parents and discuss the positives and improvements in the classroom.


Mr. Burgette

A+ Spellers

Berenice
Cameron
Maytal
Tayten
Elisabeth
Sam
Alex
Anna Mo
Amaya
Carter
Zach


Great job to all the perfect spellers!

Wednesday will be our Chapter 3 test. We will spend the next two days reviewing for the test. I hope to see a lot of high scores on this one. Study hard!

Out of the Office

I tried to tough it out yesterday, but things didn't improve. My voice is borderline gone at the moment. I have a microphone that helps for times like these, but I decided I need to take a day and rest my voice for tomorrow's big happenings (Character Dress Up Day).

All the students have 4 tickets to begin the week. If they have one left they will be invited to the party. So far everyone has at least one.

Problem of the day

Here is a problem we worked on last week. Try this with your child.

Lesson3 3 problem of the day

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Fall Celebration this Friday!

Each student receives four tickets for this party. If they have at least one ticket left by the end of the week they are invited to attend. If they lose all four tickets they aren't invited to attend.

Dettje01 job-53830-n shy9im8

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Class Notes

It has been busy around the classroom the last week or so. We finished the first quarter last Friday. Parents can expect to receive their child's report card during parent teacher conferences.

Also, I will be sending home student picture packages to those students who ordered pictures. They will go home today.

Last Week of Quarter 1

We have been testing this week, taking our Quarter 1 acuity exams for Math and Reading. We will take our writing portion tomorrow. We are also finishing literature circles and writing pieces this week to start fresh next quarter. It is a busy week at Harrison Hill.

A+ Spellers

Zach
Zuzu
Elisabeth
Amaya
Zoe
Anna Mo.
Cameron
Berenice
Tayten
Maytal
Anna Mc.

Nice job to the students that made the list this week.

Celebrate Success

The following students were recognized for an outstanding three weeks of school:

Anna Mo. - Working hard and doing her best in all areas.

Zach - Great participation and positive attitude towards learning.

Cameron - A 180 degree turn in behavior and attitude in school. Well done!

All three of these students are being recognized today at 2:45. Keep up the great work!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parents should look for a conference schedule coming home with your child today. Sign-up for a time that works for you.

A+ Spellers

Ta'vareon

Anna Mc

Maytal

Zach

Sam

Zoe

Anna Mo

Zuzu

Elisabeth

Craig

Well done to all, and a few newcomers to the list!:)

Tuesday's Vocab Activity

The class was given an assignment to create a 3D model of a given vocabulary word from our word bank. Here are some of the models they came up with. Look at all the creativity we have in our classroom! Pay attention to the vocabulary word next to the model.

Click the picture to see a bigger image.

A centipede...enough said.

From room 209

A student telling the teacher she is done.

From room 209

An elephant and a lion.

From room 209

This one is a shelf with things all over.

From room 209

Parent pledge

Hot off the press from Indianapolis/The Department of Education.

Link if it is a little small:
Parent Pledge

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Note from the Cafeteria

The price of lunch 1.45 Breakfast 1.10

If you are free or reduced lunch you still have to pay for your milk if you bring a lunch from home.

There has been some confusion, so I hope this helps clear it up.

Parent Report

Parent Reports went home today. Please sign these and return them with your child tomorrow. These show how well your child is doing in class with behavior and responsibility.

Homework

This week you should see a cursive writing paper with your child each night. All the students are required to write in cursive for this year, so this is just the tail-end of the review to guide them for the rest of the year. Sit with your child and make sure they are properly forming letters with their pencil. For the most part, this class has a great deal of confidence in their cursive writing. After this week, we should be settled in and comfortable with cursive writing. Happy practicing!

Project SEED

As your child about Project SEED. We had a visitor come in, Ms. Siddell, and teach us some math. (She will be with us for 2 weeks. She is a mathematician.) The kids were catching on very quickly to a complicated concept.


Try this one:


7 E 2 = ??

2 E 3 = ?

Ask your child to help you!

Literature Circles

Parents can look for a Literature Circle parent letter that will be with your child if they participate in a literature circle. We have already had a few students not taking this seriously. It is a huge part of their literacy grade and they can't afford to not give it their all. Please look for this and ask lots of questions about due dates. Each student has a calendar for their group.

A+ Spellers

Berenice
Zoe
Jordan
Sam
Zach
Anna Mc.
Maytal
Zuzu
Amaya
Christian M.
Elisabeth
Tayten
James J.
Cameron

Congrats to those who made the list!

Note to Parents

Please check that each night your child has written in his/her assignment book. Each student is to write down the assignment for the evening. Most are doing well, but there are a few forgetting to do this. Keep up the good work room 209.

Side note:
I have seen a great improvement with our overall performance as a class. We started the year unsure about how to work like a fourth grader (things we weren't doing--trying things on our own, asking questions when needed, asking group members when unsure of a page number or what to do), but have seen great progress and I hope we keep it up. With every week that passes I see our class becoming a little more mature and independent. Let's continue the great work!


Also, all literature circles are in full swing, so look for your child's book if he or she is part of a group. As your child about the book.

We are working hard to fix old habits and brush up on previously learned cursive strokes. I have reminded the students we begin cursive full time on Monday.

Literature Circles

We are now starting, this week, literature circles in class. This will be a time when students will sit down with other students to discuss what they have read and share assignments. Each student will have a calendar with page numbers, meeting dates, and assignments he or she needs to complete. This is something most students in the classroom will participate in, but not all. One group chose their book today with the other groups to follow. They will need to stay on top of their reading in order to participate. Please ask your child questions about literature circles when he or she receives his or her notebook and calendar.

Field Trip Canceled

Our field trip has been canceled for our room. We are very disappointed that this didn't work out for us, but we get to start something new and exciting in its place. Project SEED has been scheduled to start in our room the same day as the field trip. So after all the mix-up with buses and such, we will be refunding any student who has already paid. Look for that money to be with your child today.

A+ Spellers

Anna Mc.
Maytal
Elisabeth
Christian M.
Amaya
Alex
Terry
Zach

Congratulations to these students!!!

Tuesday will be our Chapter 2 math test. It will have plenty of addition and subtraction along with some estimating. Monday will be a review day.

Each student should be working on his/her basic math facts. Keep working on those addition and subtraction facts.

Most of the class is working on a comic strip using five of this week's vocabulary words. Some of the students have been able to show their creative side.

New Look

As you noticed, our classroom website got a makeover. I needed to have it updated and more functional. I created a poll on the left side of the blog for parents or students to vote. The goal is to have every parent check this place out once a week. I do realize most people might not have time to use the Internet each day or even every other day, but it will definitely keep you informed on the classroom activities and notes to parents. I appreciate the feedback I have gotten both good and, what I like to call constructive, criticism. I am always trying to make this place better, so any input is GREATLY appreciated (I want to hear the need for improving it to make it better, as well).

Thank you,
Mr. Burgette

Progress Reports

Reports were sent home on Tuesday, September 21, for parents to see and return. Once I have seen them, I will send them home with the students to keep. Please feel free to send comments or questions. I have answered the questions from parents, so look for my comments to come home tomorrow.

Scholastic book orders have been placed, so parents can expect the books early next week.

A+ Spellers

Berenice
Carter
Anna Mo.
Tayten
Alex
Sam
Caleb
Elisabeth
Zuzu
Terry
Zach

Field Trip Update

The field trip to the Fork of the Wabash has been postponed due to bus issues. We will still make the trip it just might be a week or two later. Stay tuned.


If you have sent money in, we will keep it safe and consider your child already paid.

Math

As most of you know, we are beginning to work on addition and subtraction in the classroom. I would like to see students working on their simple facts (3+4=7, 4-3=1) at home for at least 5 minutes a night. This will help them with the bigger numbers we will be working to solve.

Cursive Practice

As a class we are practicing our cursive handwriting. I told the class that by October 4th, 2 weeks, everyone will be writing strictly in cursive for the rest of the school year. Parents, don't be alarmed, I have done this for the last 5 school years and the students always pick up on it and begin writing in cursive like it is second nature. Cursive writing is a 4th grade standard, so we teach them to master it this year.

Celebrate Success

Every three weeks we recognize 3 students for their excellence. This ceremony is called Celebrate Success. It is a time when students get to be recognized in front of their peers.

I have recognized the following students for an outstanding job this school year:

Amaya - She has done extremely well helping in the classroom and adapting to classroom procedures.

Christian M. - He has performed well and displayed a great attitude in class.

Zuzu - She is always on task with the rest of the class and is really a leader with her actions.

Scholastic book order forms went home today. If students would like to order a book their money and orders are due Friday, September 17th.

Read Aloud

Our new classroom read aloud has begun. Yesterday, we started reading "Holes". It is a great novel full of adventure and mischief. The first few chapters just build a little background information to the characters. The best is yet to come. Ask your child about the book to this point.

Field Trip

We have a field trip planned for the end of September. There will be a field trip permission form coming home with the students in the next couple days. Each student will need to bring in $4.00 for the field trip. We are taking a trip to the Forks of the Wabash to learn all about Indiana history and the building of the Wabash Canal. The students will get a chance to see things first hand that they will learn about later in the school year. More information will being coming home.

Parent Reports

Parent Reports went home today with each student. Parents should look for those to sign them and return to school. They are the child's responsibility to show you and bring the next day. If you ever have a question about grades on them, feel free to email or call.

Math Test

Yesterday we completed Unit 1 by taking our math test. I was very disappointed that some of the students didn't read all the directions to each question which caused them to miss a few. We did have one A+. Congratulations to Alex for a perfect score.

Classroom Read Aloud

We will be finishing our first book of the year as a class this week. The title of the book is "4th Grade Rats". It is very relevant to our fourth graders and they have enjoyed the ups and downs of Suds' life as a fourth grader. Ask your child to tell you about a few of the characters.

Game and Celebration

On Friday we played Jeopardy as part of the math review. Most of the students did very well and showed they are ready for the chapter 1 test. We will review for a few minutes and then take our test. The students are well prepared to get great scores. If they have questions, they will get a chance to ask them on Monday.

We also had a classroom celebration because we finished our first writing piece of the school year. The students picked one memory from their home map and told the class the story in written form. We had some great stories! You will see the grades listed on the writing piece as Apps (Applications: How well they got their ideas across using details and description, among other things) and Conv (Conventions: Spelling, Capitalization, Punctuation, Grammar). As the year goes on and we get more involved with each topic, the grading will become more difficult. One of the games we played was music freeze. I think the students were excited to move around the room. Keep up the good work room 209.

Note about Spelling Tests

You will notice at the top of each test there is a date above the child's name. That date represents the day we took our Friday Spelling Test. The students should have a list that has a date at the top that represents the day we took the pretest and they got their words for the week.

A+ Spellers

Elisabeth
Sam
Amaya
Zach
Conner
Terry
Christian M.
Zuzu
Anna Mo.
Maytal
Berenice
Anna Mc.
Carter
Tayten


Great job this week with studying and knowing how to spell some challenging words!

MONDAY, September 13th

We will have our Unit 1 Math Test on Monday. There is a link towards the bottom of this page that gives you a review of things that will or could be on the test. Good luck and you all should do well!

Math Today

We had a good day learning how to round numbers to specific places. By the end of the lesson, we had students giving me numbers and telling the class what to round those numbers to. Great learning took place, so homework should be very straight-forward.

Homework in Room 209

Students will have homework Monday-Thursday night. Math will dominate the homework, but expect to see other items. Everyday the students are to write their homework for the evening in their assignment book, so they remember what to do for that night. I have found a few students not doing this. It is mandatory for every student, so check their assignment books and ask questions.

Also, if a student has to put his or her name on the board that will be written down in his/her assignment book, as well. Parents should initial or sign, telling me they have seen it.

A+ Spellers

Maytal
James J.
Cristian O.
Anna Mc.
Elisabeth
Amaya
Tayten
Mykemma

Great job spellers!

A Success!

Thanks to the parents and kids for coming out and visiting with me. It was great to see all the faces and to talk with parents. Congratulations to the prize winners and use them wisely.

Assignment Book Signatures

Students are only required to get a parent signature when they have gotten a name on the board or a specific homework assignment I have given to them--they will know about those assignments. Otherwise, students aren't required to have parent signatures, but can still have them if parents wish to sign.

Every afternoon the students are to write homework down into their assignment books. They will also write spelling words on Monday in their assignment books, so look for those.

From now until the end of the school year every Wednesday will begin 30 minutes later. The school day will start at 9:15 instead of 8:45.

Spelling Words:
Each student has their words in one of two places, their assignment book or homework folder. Students should study each night.

(Thanks Mortensens)

Key math terms:
standard form- 4,258
word form- fifteen
expanded form- 1000+200+60+4 = 1,264

These are must know words for the week.

Thursday

Don't forget that this coming Thursday is "Back to School" night at Harrison Hill. I hope to see as many of the parents as possible.

Parent Reminder:

All students are required to have a Harrison Hill assignment book. Most of the class has one. If not, they are $4.00.

The first week has been filled with procedures and getting to know each other. We still have a lot of work to do in learning those procedures.

We are learning all about Indiana in S.S. We have talked about the three regions of Indiana.

A+ Spellers

Anna Mo.
Elisabeth
Tavareon
Berenice
Cristian O.
Zach
Carter
Anna Mc.
Terry
Zuzu
Sam
Christian M.

Way to go spellers!

Welcome to a New School Year

We are all excited to begin a brand new school year! I hope everyone enjoyed a fantastic and HOT summer. I am looking forward to learning from all of you and watching all of you grow during the year. We have a lot in store this year, so lets get it started right.

Mr. Burgette